REAL • FICTION - Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony
The instant Leprechaun's fist fell, the chamber erupted in cheers. The other Phantom Thieves scrambled down the jagged edge of the crater, rushing toward their leader.
"Makoto!" Komaru cried, nearly tripping as she stumbled toward him.
"You insane moron, you actually did it!" Toko added, though her eyes shone with relief more than scorn.
"Senpai!" Kaede's voice cracked as she slid into the dust, reaching for him.
But the cheers faltered as quickly as they'd begun.
Leprechaun wasn't moving, his fist still raised skyward in a trembling gesture of victory before lowering stiffly. The Lucky Student's body sagged like a puppet with its strings cut, and though his Phantom Thief clothes remained pristine thanks to the Metaverse's influence, strange blue flames still licked across his arms and torso, hissing against him.
"M-Makoto...?" Shuichi's voice wavered. "Why isn't he moving?"
"Quick! Get his shirt off!" Usami shoved her way to the front, panic flaring in her wide eyes. "If we don't deal with those burns now, he'll be in serious trouble!"
Sleuth and Lab-Rat exchanged a glance and didn't hesitate. Together, they carefully stripped him down, tugging his thief coat aside and pulling his shirt up and over his head while the others crowded anxiously.
When the fabric was gone, the team collectively froze.
"What...the hell?" Highwayman breathed.
Running from Makoto's forearms up past his biceps, curling across his shoulders and snaking toward his collarbone, were burn marks unlike anything they had ever seen. They glowed faintly, as though etched into him by fire not of this world.
The lines pulsed with ethereal light, jagged like cracks in fine China, and carried a faint blue shimmer that made the marks look less like scars and more like...sigils burned directly into his flesh.
"Well, that's not normal at all..." Toko whispered, her voice barely audible.
"It's almost like something's been carved into him..." Sandbox added grimly. "But from the inside out...!"
"Makoto...why...?" Kaede pressed a hand to her mouth, trembling.
"Stop gawking and HELP!" Usami snapped, her tiny paws trembling as she summoned healing light. Sandbox rushed to her side, conjuring her own restoration spell. Together, waves of soothing energy washed over Leprechaun's battered body.
The fatigue faded quickly, allowing him to see straight again. His cuts and bruises knitted back together, and the tension in his muscles eased to the point that he could move fine again.
"Ah...Ugh...J-Jeez..." he winced, rubbing his eyes. "Holy crap...I'm...aaaagh...can barely speak...Thank you guys..."
But the burn marks remained, still glowing and etched deep. Usami staggered back, her ears drooping.
"It's no good...it's sticking," she said, moving to touch them but retracting when she realized she might hurt Makoto by doing so. "Whatever those marks are, they're not injuries. They're something else entirely."
"Could it be from all that Persona-summoning?" Sandbox murmured, digital eyes narrowing as she studied the glowing scars.
"But...summoning our Personas has never hurt us before, especially not Makoto," Mozart noted. "Well, besides the first time when you rip off your mask, but the pain's always short-lived. These are different."
YOU ARE READING
Phantom Thieves of Hope - A Danganronpa X Persona 5 Story.
Fanfiction"Makoto Naegi is the Ultimate Lucky Student as the esteemed school of Hope's Peak Academy. Now beginning his second year with little to no problems, Makoto's life is turned upside down when he discovers a cognitive realm known as the Metaverse. Thro...
